Packing case



Nov. 25,A 1941 i l Z2 i mgl v A- GERSHEL PAGKING CASE Filed April 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTOR gri/ (fers/tel ATTORNEY A.' GERSHEL PACKING CASE Nov. 2 5, 1941.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5', 1939 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES P'E'ET OFFICE 2,264,131 PACKING CASE Arthur Gershel, Baldwin, N. Y.

Application April 5, 1939, Serial No. 266,071

(Cl. G-7) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a packing case, and more particularly to a packing case for ladies dresses shipped in international commerce.

Merchandise shipped abroad in packing cases must be packed in substantially constructed boxes to withstand damage from rough and even abusive handling and from freight and cargo movements while in transit, particularly due to heavy seas. Packing cases of this description when properly constructed are difficult to open for customs inspection, and when once opened are still more difcult to close up again without injury to the merchandise packed therein. Losses from damages occurring in the shipment of ready made garments such as ladies dresses have been particularly high, due to tearing the dresses in opening the packing cases, driving nails through the fabrics in re-closing the packing cases after customs inspection, and the wrinkled appearance of the garments when received, which appearance necessitates the re-conditioning of those dresses which were not damaged beyond repair. Claims from such losses tend to increase insurance rates, thus increasing costs to a point where domestic ready made dresses cannot be profitably exported, thereby impairing our foreign trade in this particular eld. Again when a re-count of the packed dresses before shipment becomes necessary to discover the source of an error, the packing cases are frequently so damaged, in opening them for the re-count that they must be discarded and the entire shipment re-packed in new packing cases. As there are 250 to 300 dresses in each packing case, and a shipment may consist of from ten to forty cases consisting of 2500 to 10,000 dresses, such mistakes are costly to the forwarding agent under whose supervision and control this work is done, and in some cases such mistakes have completely absorbed the agents brokerage.

One object of this invention is a packing case for ladies garments which is able to withstand rough handling and resist damage in transit, but which can be opened and closed as often as necessary for customs and other inspection, easily, quickly, and without damage either to the packing case or to the garments packed therein.

Another object is a packing case in which ladies dresses can be readily packed, counted, transported, and inspected, as often as necessary, and from which the dresses may be quickly unpacked at their destination without injury to the dresses or need for re-conditioning them.

Another object is a packing case from which l-adies dresses can be removed at--their overseas destination in such physical condition and appearance as to be ready for immediate sale.

Other objects will appear from the detailed description Which follows. Y

In the drawings comprising two sheets of four gures numbered Figs. l to 4 inclusive, one embodiment of the invention is shown.'

Fig. l is a perspective view of a packing case in closed condition ready for shipment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the packing case of Fig. 1 with the side panel removed to permit inspection of garments (not shown) intended to be packed therein.

Fig. 3`is a vertical cross section taken along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a Vertical cross section taken along the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of th arrows.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several gures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings the packing case indicated generally at I0 is preferably made of laminated wooden panels secured to reinforcing rames made from heavier lumber.

The base member 33, upon which the packing case is designed to rest is made of relatively thick tough lumber. The front and back end panels I2 and I3 are secured to the bracing frames I4 in any suitable manner as by means of nails 22, said frames being further reinforced by the cross braces I5 (Figs. 1 and 3) Packing case Il] is also provided With a full side panel I6 which is secured to -a bracing frame I9 in any suitable manner as by the nails 22. A sectional side panel il (Fig. 2) is attached to the lower half of the complementary bracing frame I9 in any suitable manner as by means of nails 22, but the upper half of the said frame forms an inspection opening. Said opening is cross braced at 2U, and a removable side panel I8 (Fig. 4) is designed to cover said inspection opening, and is detachably secured to frame I9, cross brace 20, and sill brace 2 I, by means of a series of Wood screws 23 which pass through the peripheral marginal edges of removable side panel I8Qat spaced intervals and penetrate frame Ill, cross brace 20, and sill brace ZI, to a sulicient depth to rigidly secure removable side panel I8 in position.

Base member 33 and the frames I9 for supporting the side panels' I6 and Il-I8, are rectangular. Frames I4 for supporting en d panels I2 and I3 are rectangular to the same height as the frames I9, corresponding substantially to the length of a ladys dress, and are then bevelled to form triangular or gabled end supports 24, conforming substantially to the contour of the neck and shoulders of a ladys dress hanger 34 (Fig. 4). An intermediate support 26 (Figs. 3 and 4) provided with extension ribs 21 is secured to the brace 20 and to the top sides of frames I8 .in any preferred manner as by the nails 28. The supports 24 and 26 are notched to receive and support a section of pipe forming a hanger bar 25. Bar 25 is anchored but at one point only, by means of a screw or nail 35, which passes through a hole in the bar and into fone of the supports 24. Bar 25 is anchored at one end only, so that if the front and back end panels I2 and I3 are either outwardly bowed or inwardly telescoped by the pressure of Aother freight, the bar 25 will be free to slide through the other notched supports 24 and 26 without injuring 'the packing case I0. If the bar 25 wererigidlyanchored to both supports 24 either excessive telescopic action or excessive bowing caused by the excessive pressure of other freight 'would' fracture the panels I2 and I3 of the packing case I0; by leaving one end of the hanger bar 25 free to slide in its notched supports 24 this .risk of fracture is avoided. The free end of bar 25 projects beyond the notched support 241to provide a margin of safety sufficient to compensate for any reasonable increase in length of the packing case from the outward bowing action previously described. A middle brace 32 Aparallelling -the hanger bar 25 in spaced relation tends to protect the hanger bar and to retain the swivelled hooks of the hangers 34 in place so as -to prevent the hook hangers .from being jolted off hanger bar 25. The clearance above hanger bar 25 is only about 1A of an inch, or sufficient to allow the hangers to be hooked around the bar, but not enough to allow the hangers 34 to be jolted off bar .25 `when the `merchandise is in transit.

The top -end II, may consist of a one piece top panel 30 secured to the top braces 3l, 32, in any preferred manner, as by nails or the like. The frames I4, I9, etc., may be further reinforced at various points by the metal straps 2.

One very satisfactory form of lpacking case embodying my invention may be fabricated from plywood panels reinforced with frames of heavier lumber, employing substantially the following dimensions: height of case from base-33 to apex 32, 511A inches; length from front (I2) to rear (I3) end panel 35 inches; Window opening 33 inches by 24 inches; clearance between hanger bar 25 and top panel 3U, 1/4 inch. By placing the bracing frames I9 of side panels I5, II inside the packing case, a substantialgain in available packing space is obtained, which space would be lost if the bracing frames IS were placed on vthe Ioutside Vof the packing case 2i), although 'the said space wouldbe charged for yby the ship owner on the basis of Vcubicle measurements.

In packing,'the front end panel I2 and top end or roof panel 30 are left open, and withfcase Ill resting on its base 33, the pressed dresses vsuspended on individual swivelled hook hangers 34 are hooked upon hanger bar 25, beginning at the back end panel I3. After the case lil has been half filled, it is turned over on end panel I3 ,as a base to Ypress kthe dresses already packed closer together. More 'dresses 4hanging on indr- RII vidual hangers 34 are packed in case I0, the hangers 34 being hooked upon hanger bar 25 until case I0 is fulll Front end panel I2 is now nailed in place, case I0 is now returned to its base 33 and top end or roof panel 30 is attached in place, and the mechandise is ready for shipment. To inspect as at the custom house, the wood screws 23 of removal side panel I8 are unfastened, panel I8 is removed, the dresses are examined through the window opening, and lafter the examination is completed side panel I8 is replaced, and the shipment is ready to be routed to its destination.

What is claimed is:

l. A packing case comprising a base member,

`side frames, gabled end frames, and a top frame,

said side frames being permanently secured in 1spacedrelation to the opposite side edges of said base-member, a sill brace extending horizontally substantially midway between the top and bottom members of one of the side frames, a laminated panel covering the lower vhalf ofsaid side frame, saidpanel being permanently securedto the-bottom and side members of said frame 4and to the lower marginal vertical side edge of said sill brace, the upper half of said .side frame being open to form an inspection opening, a laminated panel secured to and forming a `cover for the other side frame, laminated panels secured to each of said gabled end frames, said panelled gabled end frames .being permanently secured to the front and rear edges of said base member, said vgabled vend frames being .notched at the peak, a hanger .bar supported in said notches :and anchored to one of said end frames, the `opposite end of said hanger bar being free to slide in its supporting notch, .a laminated covering .for said top frame, said covered top frame being permanently secured to said sideandend frames to substantially complete thepacking case, a closure for said inspection opening, .and means operable to quickly fasten said closure in and to unfasten said closure for Aremoval from said inspection opening without injury to the closure, to the packing case or -to the merchandise contained therein.

vtop wallinconjunction, defining a packing case having a window opening in one side thereofextending from the topedge ofthe shorter side wall to the eave of the top wall dening an inspection opening to facilitate quick inspection of the contents ofthe'packing case, a hanger bar supported between'the peak points of the gabledends, one end only of said hanger bar being anchored, the other end of said hanger bar being free, said hanger bar being spaced relatively closeto the top wall to prevent the conventional dress hangers from being jai-red loose .from the hanger bar when the packing case is in transit,.the spac- `ing between said hanger bar and said top -wall affording sufficient clearance to permita conventional dress hanger 'to be manually unhooked from said hanger fbar lthrough said Ainspection opening, a closure for said inspection opening, and means operable to quickly fasten said closure in, and to unfasten said closure for rapid removal from, saidl inspection opening, Without injury to the closure, to any other portion of the packing case, or to the dresses therein contained.

3. A packing Vcase for ladies dresses comprising a base, side Walls, gabled end wa1ls,and a top wall, one of said side Walls being substantially shorter than the other, said side Walls being permanently secured to the base member in spaced relation to each other, the gabled end walls being permanently secured to the base member and to the side Walls, the top wall being permanently secured to the gabled edges of the end Walls and to theA top edge of the taller side wall, said base, side Walls, gabled end walls and top wall in conjunction, defining a packing case having a window opening in one side thereof extending from the top edge of the shorter side wall to the eave of the top wall defining an inspection opening to facilitate quick inspection of the contents of the packing case, said gabled end Walls being notched at their respective peaks, a hanger bar supported in said notched peak points of the gabled ends, said hanger bar being anchored to but one of said notched peaks and projecting laterally beyond the outer face of the other gabled end Wall to permit the said wall to move along the hanger bar when the packing case is in transit without fracturing the walls of the packing case zor disturbing the contents thereof, a closure for said inspection opening, and means operable to quickly fasten said closure in, and to unfasten said closure for rapid removal from, said inspection opening, without injury to the closure, to any other portion of the packing case, or to the dresses therein contained.

ARTHUR GERSHEL. 

